A Tale of a Tail
by KiyameHikari-chan
Summary: Ritsu Onodera is not your typical jaded everyday office worker. He has a secret so large that he can't even tell his true love Masamune Takano. However dire circumstances may lead to Masamune becoming involved and leading to his secret being revealed. This story includes Yoshino Chiaki who will be Ritsu's childhood friend. WARNING: BOY X BOY and and OC Onodera. You've been told! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Konichiwa mina-san(hello everyone)! It's your friendly neighbor Hikari-chan coming at you with another story. This time I'll be moving away from Junjou Romantica and challenging Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. This tail is a little awkward in that I've never written anything like this before. Please be kind...nantta ne(just kidding)! However, I do hope that you guys will enjoy this story. Let the tail begin!**

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><p><em>Since when have I forgotten who I am...what I am?<em> Onodera thought to himself as he shuffled into Marukawa's main entrance. Walking over to the elevator in an exhausted state, he pressed the up arrow and walked onto the elevator to start another day in the Emerald Editing Department. The memory of his weekend at home continued to play through his head as the elevator came to his floor and he forced himself into the office. It was the beginning of the cycle so everything was nauseatingly pink and fluffy. Onodera sat down with a heavy sigh and turned on his laptop to see what needed done for today.

An email blinking in the corner caught his eye. It was from Yoshikawa Chiharu a.k.a. Yoshino Chiaki. _Why would he mail me? He's Hatori-san's author right?_ Onodera thoguht as he opened the email. What he read caused his eyes to widen to such an extent that he had to blink after a while due to his eyes drying out. The email read:

_**Onodera-san,**_

_**How are you? I wanted to ask if you remember me at all  
>from the last meeting? There will be another meeting this<br>Sunday. Please come as it affects our entire race. I look  
>forward to seeing you again.<strong>_

_**Signed,  
>Yoshino<strong>_** Chiaki**

"What the hell is he playing at? Meeting...could he mean? But how?" Onodera muttered to himself. Takano had been keeping an eye on him since he'd arrived and noticed the immediate change in Onodera's manner after the brunette had read the email. Takano became concerned and kind of annoyed and walked over to where Onodera sat staring at his screen while muttering to himself.

"Onodera, what are you doing?" Takano said in his usual haughty way.

"Huh?" Onodera answered as he snapped out of his state and looked up at Takano in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing Onodera? Have you finished your latest proposal? Will you be ready for the meeting this Friday? You only have three days to get it done. Get your head out of the clouds and get back t-...What is this about a meeting with Hatori's author?"

"N-none of your business!" Onodera said in exasperation as he clicked out of the email and brought up his finished proposal.

"You finished it already? Let me take a look," Takano said as he began to read Onodera's proposal. After about five minutes Takano walked back to his desk and called from across the room, "You can just go home today Onodera. Your proposal is fine and you don't have anything else to do right?"

"Um, actually I have a meeting today with Mutou-sensei to discuss the next chapter for this month," Ondodera said as he gathered up some papers and dashed off to the copier. _That was close! If Takano-san found out what I...?_ Onodera gulped in some air to still his nerves as he waited for his copies to print out. Just as the copier spit out his last paper, in walked Yokozawa with a sour expression on his face. He took one look at Onodera and gave him the silent treatment. Onodera took that opportunity to run out the door, copies in hand, and dashed back to his desk as fast as he could. There he spent the three hours before his meeting planning how he'd present his idea to the board for Mutou's latest work.

1 pm rolled around and it was finally time for him to dash off to a nearby cafe for his meeting. "Otsukade(good work today), Onodera," Hatori called as Onodera was walking out.

"Hatori-san, Otsukade," Onodera said back as he dashed towards the elevator. As soon as the elevator hit the bottom floor, Onodera was running and out of the doors to the office in record time.

"Konichiwa(hello) Mutou-Sensei," Onodera called out as he caught sight of his author, walking in the door.

"Ohio(formal hello) Onodera-kun. How are you?" Mutou called back cheerfully.

"Good. How are you Sensei?" Onodera replied in kind as he sat down.

"I'm just fine," she replied back with a smile.

"No colds this time I hope?" Onodera said a bit mischievously.

"No not this time!" Laughed Mutou. Since that incident at the airport it had become their own private joke.

"So, what are you thinking for the chapter for this month?"

"I was thinking of several angles that would..." Their meeting lasted about an hour and a half before they finally agreed on what angle Mutou should go with next for the story.

"Thank you for your cooperation for today Mutou-Sensei. It was of great help," Onodera said pleasantly as he stood up to leave.

"Iie(no), thank you for meeting me today. I was so stuck and you've helped me out so much today Onodera-kun. Honotoni arigatou gozaimasu(really, thank you so much)," Mutou said with the brightest smile she could. Onodera smiled back in response and left the cafe to go home, but not before waving to Mutou one last time.

_That went well_, thought Onodera as he walked home. _Now I have to take care of the other issue at hand. How am I supposed to get the day off this close to the beginning of the cycle? I mean really Chiaki?! You could've sent me that email weeks ago! Damn air-headed author can barely take care of himself without Hatori-san's help...Oh well. What will be will be. I need to come up with a good excuse to get this Saturday off to travel to Okinawa. But knowing Takano-san he'll think I'm going on vacation instead of going to a meeting for a different race._

Onodera sighed as he entered the elevator to go up to his apartment. Once on the top floor he stepped out of the elevator only to find Takano waiting in front of his door. Onodera began to feel immediately suspicious as Takano looked his way. Walking over to his door he said the only thing he could in that situation.

"Please move aside Takano-san," Onodera said, his annoyance at the situation coloring his voice.

"I need to talk to you. Come with me," Takano replied as he grabbed Onodera's arm and dragged him into his apartment.

"W-wai...Oi! Takano-san, what are you trying to pull?" Onodera complained as he was attempting to escape Takano's grasp.

"Shut up. I want to know what the email was all about," Takano said as he closed the door behind them and pinned Onodera to the wall in the goukon(place to keep shoes).

"It's really none of your business. So please let m-" Onodera was stopped by the intense gaze that was directed at him from Takano. _What the hell is going through his head? Does he think I'm cheating on him or something? Wait a minute! How can he think that when we're not even dating?!_

"It is my business as your boss. You know you're not supposed to be emailing anyone personal outside of work," Takano said seriously as he pressed in closer to Onodera.

_And now he's threatening me. Guess I'll ask for that day off now_. "I have to go to Okinawa this Saturday to visit my grandmother in the hospital. My mom sent me a meeting place and time so we can go together. Anything else you need to know?" Onodera replied, looking straight into Takano's eyes, daring him to challenge his words. Takano knew that Onodera was a bad liar but now he couldn't tell if the man was lying or not. That's when an idea came to Takano's mind and he pressed further up against Onodera as he said, "Liar."

However, Onodera's countenance didn't change in the slightest and Takano became shocked instead. Takano had no choice but to back off at Onodera's stubborn attitude for it appeared that he was telling the truth.

"Fine. You can have the day off Saturday. Just be sure to bring something back for the office okay?" Takano said as he released Onodera and walked into his living room. Onodera took that opportunity to leave and went into his own apartment before he smiled at his victory over Takano. _Yes! Way to go me! Lying to Takano and not budging. I guess I've grown a little as an adult. Take that Takano-san!_

Onodera reveled in his success for a few more minutes as he put his stuff away and sat down on his couch to relax before reality hit him. _I may have gotten this Saturday off, but what problems could be great enough to call a council? That hasn't been done since the Meiji Era when our race was in danger of extinction from humans who thought we were demons. And what will I do? I can't just let my people suffer but how am I going to fix the problem? Argh! This is so confusing! Well I guess I'll just have to wait and see what pops up._

Onodera sighed in resignation as he looked up at the clock and saw that nearly five hours had passed without him doing anything. Then he sighed and stood up to make a good dinner for once in stead of a convenience store bento(meal box). Once he had finished cooking, eating and doing the dishes he focused his energy on tidying his apartment up. It was a disaster from the last three days of the cycle. At around 9 pm he finally finished cleaning his entire house and was ready to hit the sac when he got a phone call.

_Who could it be at this time of night?!_ Onodera thought as he grudgingly picked up the phone and answered tiredly, "Hello, Onodera Ritsu speaking?"

"Onodera-sama, big trouble! We need you in Okinawa now!" said a familiar voice on the phone.

"Now?! But I have a meeting this Friday at work!" Onodera said in dismay.

"We need you now Onodera-sama! You may go back when it's time for your meeting but we need you to come here as fast as possible!"

"Alright but it'll be the unconventional way of travel. It's the fastest way to get to you," Onodera sighed in resignation.

"That's fine. Just make sure no one sees you," the voice replied before hanging up. Quickly, Onodera packed a small waterproof bag with clothes and his cell phone before dashing out of his apartment and locking the door. Takano heard Onodera's door slam as he came out and went to see what was going on. When he opened his door Onodera had already gone into the stairwell and was dashing madly down towards the bottom floor. Takano decided to follow him to see where on earth Onodera was going.

Onodera didn't slow down an iota when he hit the street. His mad dash left Takano confused to the nth degree as Onodera continued to make his way through town and down to the subway. Onodera was fidgety as he waited for the right train and got on as soon as the doors were open. Takano got on quickly and sat next to a man much larger than himself and used the to hide as Onodera looked around for anyone following him. Takano then noticed that the train was taking them near the ocean and became even more confused when Onodera got off at a stop so close to the ocean that it was practically in the middle of nowhere.

Takano quickly followed the brunette out onto the beach and hid behind a rock in the cove where Onodera stood still for a moment. Then Onodera did the totally unexpected and took off all of his clothes and shoved them into the waterproof bag and slung the bag's strap over his shoulder. He then began to wade out into the ocean which caused alarm in Takano as he thought Onodera was going to commit suicide.

"Onodera!" Takano cried out as he ran towards the brunette. Onodera heard the shout and looked back at a concerned Takano. _Crap! He'll see it if I don't give him an explanation! Man this is going to cost me but..._ As his thoughts trailed off Onodera dropped his bag down into the water and made sure it was safely on the bottom before he slowly swam over to Takano who was wading into the water after him.

"What are you doing here Takano-san?" Onodera asked when he was 2 feet away from the man. Takano said nothing as he wrapped his arms around Onodera. "Takano-san?" Onodera asked in confusion.

"...I thought that you were going to kill yourself," Takano said as his whole body shivered from shock and relief.

"Why would I do that? I didn't leave my shoes on the beach did I? I was just going for a swim. I needed to clear my head and I thought swimming was the best way to do it," Onodera said as he released his pent up breath from moving so fast.

"But why so late at night?" Takano asked as he loosened his grip on Onodera slightly and looked into his eyes.

"Do I have to explain every little thing I do to you? Do I ask you to explain yourself every time yo do something weird?" Onodera asked testily as he tried to pull away from Takano.

"I'm serious Onodera. Why were you in such a hurry to get here? What's go-"

Takano was silenced by a kiss from Onodera who was feeling a bit harried at the moment and needed his boss to shut up for a minute or two.

"I will explain in due time. But you have to trust me. Can you do that for me Takano-san?" Onodera asked seriously as he looked deep into Takano's eyes. Takano said nothing as he nodded his head and released Onodera. Onodera smiled and pushed Takano towards the shore happy to dodge yet another bullet. Once he was sure Takano had left the beach, Onodera dived under the water and grabbed his bag before swimming away from the cove. His tail propelled him forward at an inhuman speed as he moved his way through the water and off to Okinawa.

_That was too close._

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><p><strong>Well here's the new story. What do you think? Is my tail worth continuing or no? Please leave a review to let me know. Also I apologize for not writing in so long. School and work are worse than ever before so I hope you can forgive me. Thanks for reading and please let me know if I should continue. Suki yo(love ya)!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter of A Tale of a Tail. I really like all the thumbs up I'm getting so I'll continue writing this story...sorry if that sounded totally rude just now. So anyways, I hope you'll all enjoy this next chapter. It's a doozy. See ya at the end! :D**

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><p>"Onodera-sama! Thank goodness you've arrived so quickly," a servant called out as Onodera entered a castle made of pearl, glass and marble. Onodera just nodded his head, too exhausted from his five hour swim to give a proper response.<p>

"Right this way. The Council is waiting for you," the servant said with a bow. He then led Onodera deeper into the castle as Onodera's panic began to rise.

_This is bad! The Council is gathered now?! They must've swam like maniacs to get here today. What's so urgent that they needed to form in such a way?_ Onodera continued to puzzle this as the servant stopped before a door and opened it into a grand meeting room with a long decorated table at it's center and chairs placed evenly all around it. In those chairs sat 12 very haggard looking merpeople. The way they looked was not lost on Onodera as he probably looked like them at the moment. Onodera let out an impressive sigh before handing his bag to the servant, composing himself, and striding forward with an energy he didn't possess.

"Welcome to Viladir my Council. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this fine evening?" Onodera said with a straight face as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Onodera-sama, we all have reports to give to you. Strange things are happening all over the oceans and seas. I Reynard will go first," a man with a short cut black bears with vivid yellow eyes said in response. "I fear i must report that the coral in the Barrier Reef is starting to die at a rapid rate."

Onodera's eyes widened in shock as each gave their reports. All he heard were reports of fish fleeing, coral dying and even whales moving to the south towards Antarctica when it was the warm season and they should have been moving North towards warmer waters.

"That is all," Reynard finished as the room became deathly silent.

"Such things happening to my kingdom. Do we know the cause of this?" Onodera asked the council, voice edgy but still straight faced.

"We cannot find any other source than this phenomenon all started in the Arctic and has spread downward at a rapid pace," a female with red hair and purple eyes said sadly.

"Thank you Clara. But has anyone even attempted to investigate where the source of this...miasma is at?" Onodera asked seriously. The room went silent again as the Council lowered their heads in shame for not even attempting to investigate into it further.

Onodera sighed before saying, "It appears I will have to investigate this matter for myself. Though I am puzzled why we have not seen similar results i-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Chiaki stated as he entered the room. "Onodera-sama, I've just received reports of a large black shadow moving in the north!"

"What did you say?!" Onodera asked as his face showed pure horror.

"What are we gonna do Onodera-sama? The fish are fleeing south and the coral is starting to die! What can we do?!" Chiaki stated in clear panic as his blue tail twitched in an agitated manner.

"Ochitsuku(calm down), Chikai. Just let me think," Onodera replied, once again under control. After about 10 minutes of intense silence Onodera straightened up and pronounced, "Something must be done about this black menace. This has happened once before but right now that black shadow is growing stronger by the minute. Therefore we have need of an ancient spell to either kill it for good or to seal it back into the crack from which it came. We can't allow the shadow to get any stronger. We must take action now."

"But what about your meeting in two days Onodera-sama?" a servant asked from the doorway.

"This is a much more pressing matter as it affects the humans on the surface as well. I'm sure we will just be raising the alarm if we don't do something now," Onodera said firmly as he got out of his seat and swam over to the door. "I'm counting on you, the Council to find those spells. Do not fail your king," Onodera said as he left the room and swam down the hallway to his room. Once the door to his room was closed his facade dropped into exhaustion and panic as he began to pace the room.

"What to do? What to do? The previous ruler mentioned this but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. So he has returned, Acronon. That devil of a merman will have to be destroyed this time. No amount of sealing will hold him back for long, of this much I am certain. But how to do it?"

Onodera continued to pace the room until he could think no more and swam over to his bed in tired resignation. Onodera then passed into the world of oblivion as he fell asleep. He was woken up eight hours later by a call on his cell. Onodera sat up lazily, stretched and cast a spell to keep his phone from getting water damage before he pulled it out of his bag and answered it.

"Hello?" Onodera asked, the physical drain of last night in his voice.

"Onodera! Where the hell are you?!" an angry Takano shouted through the phone.

"Takano-san...I'm sorry. I had to leave for Okinawa last night. I got a call on my cell after I got out of the water an-"

"Bullshit you did! You had a bag with you when you left the apartment last night! What the hell were you reall-"

"I told you! I got a sudden call and I had to go to Okinawa! It was urgent!" Onodera shouted right back, now fully awake.

"Yeah right," Takano snorted in disbelief. Onodera was getting really pissed off now and decided he had no other choice than to tell Takano the truth.

"...If you want to know the truth then come to Okinawa and bring a bag of clothes with you. You'll be staying here for a few days. Also cancel the planning meeting for this Friday. I have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. And you better get on the one o'clock train. I'll see you at nine," Onodera said as he hung up with finality. Onodera let out a long sigh and sat on his bed for a bit before finally getting up to get breakfast. Onodera swam down the hallway towards the kitchen before he noticed that the clock said 11 am.

_I guess it's more lunch time than breakfast time now_, Onodera thought to himself as a small smile appeared on his lips. The smile quickly faded away once he saw one of the servants swimming towards him.

"Onodera-sama, what would you like to eat? You must be hungry after last night," the maid said cheerfully as she grabbed Onodera's wrist and dragged him to a seat in the kitchen. He was quickly served some trout soup and seaweed bread. Onodera ate without a second thought and thanked the maid for the meal before heading off to the library. When he entered the massive room of books he was greeted by chaos as the Council members rushed around and read one book after another. All work stopped when he entered the room and the Council all gave him the answer he was looking for by shaking their heads sadly. Onodera sighed and went over to the nearest bookshelf to begin searching himself.

When 7 pm rolled around, the serving staff came in with food for everyone. Onodera took his leave once he was finished and grabbed his clothes before swimming into a cove of a beach where he wouldn't be seen as he dried off and put on his clothes. Once he was fully dressed, he walked up the beach to the road and waited for the bus that would take him to the train station. He got off of the bus at the station at 8:30 and waited at the main gate until 9 pm. As Onodera looked around he saw a tall black haired figure headed straight for him. He stood up from his crouched position and waved at Takano until the man was ten feet from him.

"Yo, Takano-san. Did you tell the board?" Onodera greeted nonchalantly.

"Yeah and they weren't happy about it but I said I would let them know when you had everything together," Takano said as he fell into step with Onodera and they left the station. They then got on the bus to go back to the beach Onodera had been at earlier.

"So what is this all about?" Takano asked in annoyance as they pulled up to their stop.

"Just wait a while longer and I will show you," Onodera said with a sly smile. Takano shut up at the sight of such an odd smile on Onodera. He followed Onodera out onto the beach and into the cove that Onodera had enter previously.

"You really have a thing for beaches huh?" Takano asked with a straight face. Onodera just shrugged and began to strip off his clothes. Takano thought nothing of it because Onodera had already done this before and he watched silently as Onodera waded into the water, clothes in hand.

"Come on Takano-san. You don't have to take off your clothes just get in the water. Oh and take your bag with you," Onodera called out as he waved at Takano. Takano thought this was an odd request but he did as Onodera had said and waded out to where Onodera was.

"Hold on just a minute. I have to cast a spell so you can breath underwater," Onodera said seriously before uttering an unintelligible phrase. Takano was truly shocked by this and felt an odd sensation flow over him as Onodera completed his recitation. "There. Now follow me if you please," Onodera said with a weird smile as he dove beneath the water's surface. Takano held his breath instinctively as he dived after Onodera and what he saw shocked him to no end. Takano let out all of the air he held in as he beheld the sight of Onodera's vivid green tail. Onodera laughed at his boss's dumbfounded look and didn't stop until he noticed Chiaki swimming towards them.

"Chiaki, over here!" Onodera called out as the blue tailed merman swam up to them.

"Have you fou- Holy shit! What is Takano-san doing here Onodera-sama?!" Chiaki exclaimed when he saw the man.

"I had no choice. He would've found out eventually anyways. He's one persistent bastard. I'll give him that. Anyways, how goes the search?"

"Not well. The Council has been through nearly every book in the first library. It's not looking good Onodera-sama," Chiaki replied in a crestfallen voice.

*sigh~*"Just tell them to pick up where they left off from tonight for tomorrow. They need to rest," Onodera said in annoyance as Chiaki nodded his head and swam back to the castle. "Now then, Takano-san if you would follow me please," Onodera said as he began to swim towards the castle. When he didn't hear Takano behind him Onodera stopped and turned to look back at Takano. The man was just floating there unable to think or speak. Onodera sighed, swam back over to him, grabbed his wrist, and began to drag Takano back to the castle. Takano didn't even notice it for when they can upon the castle lit up by glowing moonlight he was further silenced. Onodera began to become annoyed by Takano's stupefied state and dragged the man through the castle and into his room.

"Oi! Would you snap out of it already?! You're really getting on my nerves Takano-san!" Onodera said in annoyance. Takano snapped out of his revelry as soon as he heard Onodera's voice but not before looking the man over one time.

"Y-you...are a merman!" Takano said at last, clear surprise in his voice. Onodera sighed in annoyance as Takano continued to ramble off question after question about where they were, why Onodera had kept this secret from him and how was he able to breathe?

"Stop! Just stop Takano-san. I will answer all of your questions if you would just shut up for five seconds!" Onodera finally shouted. Takano shut up immediately and waited for Onodera to speak.

"We are in the castle Viladir which has been the home of the royal family line of merfolk for time immortal. I am the current king of the oceans and seas so this is my actual home. I was adopted by my parents when they found me wrapped in clothes on their doorstep thus my current appearance. I kept this secret for the safety of my people. No one can know that we exist, understand. It would mean trouble for us and it would just be a repeat of the Meiji Era incident where we were killed by the hundreds. And you are able to breath due to an enchantment I have cast upon you. Anything else you would like to ask?" Onodera said in annoyance as he finished his explanation. Takano just shook his head and Onodera let out a long sigh as he schooled his face into something more stable.

"I have to go check on something now so you can go to sleep ahead of me. I'll be back soon," Onodera said as he swam out of the room. Just as he was about to enter the first library Chiaki shot down the hall towards him.

"Onodera-sama! We have a huge problem!"

_What now?_

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><p><strong>Well that's the end of chapter two for A Tale of a Tail. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this. I really look forward to see what you guys think and I'll see ya again soon in the next chapter. Suki yo(love ya)! :D<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey~o everybody! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. This story is starting to look more and more appealing to me. Why didn't I do this sooner? Oh well. Please enjoy this next chapter of A Tale of a Tail.**

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><p>"What's wrong Chiaki?"<p>

"The shadow, it's moving towards us! Not very quickly but still! The miasma has become stronger! What do we do?!" Chiaki wailed as tears began to flow down his face.

"Get a grip Chiaki. We just have to find the spell as soon as possible. That's all we can do," Onodera said in a firm but kind voice. Chiaki calmed down a little when he heard this and swam off to his room to get some sleep for the night. _Things are getting a little too dangerous around here. Maybe I shouldn't have brought Takano-san here. _Just as Onodera was thinking this a servant swam towards him with a sword poised to kill him. Onodera quickly dodged the oncoming servant and swam to the top of the hallway to avoid a blow from behind._  
><em>

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Onodera called in anger as the servant rushed him again, red eyes full of hatred. _Red eyes?!_ This caught Onodera off guard for a moment too long as the sword sliced open his arm. Onodera refused to cry out as he disarmed the servant and knocked him out with a well placed blow. Onodera then chanted a spell to remove the miasma's effect on the servant and floated back down to the floor of the hallway. There he gently placed the servant on the floor and silently went back to his room, sword in hand.

"Well isn't this something. I actually got cut for once," Onodera muttered to himself as he opened the door to his room as quietly as he could. Apparently he wasn't quiet enough because Takano was sitting up in the bed when he looked. Onodera just sighed and retreated to a chest in a corner of the room and began to treat his wound. It was a shallow cut that hurt more than it bled, but Takano didn't seem to notice this as he walked over to Onodera as fast as the water would allow him to.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?" Takano said in a panicked voice.

"I'm fine. One of my servants became affected by something and attacked me. It's a small cut so there's no need to worry," Onodera said calmly as he tightened the bandage and looked up at Takano with placid eyes. Takano was truly shocked by Onodera's calm appearance and looked deep into the brunette's eyes where he saw just a small spark of alarm.

"Liar," Takano said as he pulled Onodera into his arms. Onodera struggled for a second before giving up and giving into Takano's comforting gesture. As they continued to embrace, Onodera felt his cut healing and his fins turning into legs. This shocked him and he waited until his cut had disappeared and his legs reappeared before he said anything to Takano.

"Uh, Takano-san. You can let go now," Onodera said as he pushed away from the taller man slightly. Takano reluctantly released Onodera and was about to say something until he noticed Onodera's legs. He looked up at Onodera in shock and then when the brunette showed him his healed cut Takano just about fell over from shock.

"Did I..."

"Apparently you're a Catalin Takano-san," Onodera said quietly as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

"A what?!" Takano said in surprise as he turned to face the brunette sitting on the bed.

"A Catalin. A healer of merfolk and a breaker of spells. You can also turn our fins to legs under water. We'll still be able to breathe but our fins won't appear again until two hours after their transformation."

Takano was silent for a while as he contemplated Onodera's words.

"So I can use magic?" Takano finally asked in confusion.

"Of a sort," Onodera laughed as Takano walked over and sat on the bed next to him.

"Well, there goes my sense of reality," Takano said in fake depression, causing Onodera to laugh even harder. Takano tried to hide his smile but met with success for about 30 seconds as a wide grin lit up his face. Onodera laughed for a good five minutes before he finally began to calm down and moved to go to the other side of the bed. Onodera then found himself pulled onto his back on the bed. Just as he was about to protest, Takano sealed his lips with a kiss and Onodera found his strength draining.

"Wai...t. Taka_no-sa_n," Onodera tried to protest. It was to no avail as Takano began to caress Onodera's neck with his lips, his hands exploring the rest of the brunette's body. Onodera was soon moaning as Takano moved his hands lower and began to lightly stroke his slightly hardened cock.

"I wonder how long you'll keep your legs once we're done here," Takano said seductively, causing the brunette to blush and turn his face away. Takano chuckled deep in his throat as he began to lick Onodera's nipples lightly. The brunette tensed at the feathery touch of Takano's warm tongue, as pleasure began to grow and spread throughout his body. His moans grew louder in pitch as Takano continued to play with his body.

"Ah...ngh...nnn...hah," Onodera moaned as Takano put first one finger then two more in an attempt to loosen the brunette's opening. To his surprise the opening was fairly easy to loosen thanks to the water's viscosity. Takano played with the opening a bit more to make sure that he wouldn't hurt Onodera before finally replacing his fingers with his own cock. Onodera's moans soon peaked as Takano slid in and out slowly. Once the brunette was breathing more regularly Takano picked up his pace and was surprised when his speed wasn't slowed by the force of the water like it should've been.

As his thrusts went deeper into Onodera's body, the brunette found himself moaning with each thrust as they grew louder. The two climaxed together and released their desire together in pure ecstasy. Takano laid down on Onodera's chest as the two tried to regain their breaths. As soon as his breathing was more regular, Takano pulled out of Onodera and laid down beside him. Onodera felt a wave of sleep take him as Takano pulled him into his arms. They slept completely unaware of the world around them, lost in the comfort that the other brought to them.

Morning arrived in the form of a very loud banging coming from the bedroom door. Onodera was awake and alert immediately. He looked to see if his tail had returned and was pleased to see it had before he quickly swam over and opened the door.

"Onodera-sama, help me!" was Chiaki's response before he passed out into Onodera's arms. Onodera immediately looked up and found himself staring into the red eyes of four of his servants. Thinking quickly, Onodera set Chiaki on the floor gently and poised himself into a battle ready position. He was caught off guard when Takano stepped in front of him and erected a barrier around the door.

"Takano-san wha-"

"I'll protect you Onodera. Just give me some time to touch them," Takano said sternly as Onodera nodded his head and prepared to take the weapons in the servant's hands. The two worked quickly as Onodera disarmed the servants and Takano broke the curse over them with a light tap on their bodies. Once they were sure that the servants were lucid again, they set off about the castle in search of other's who'd been affected. They spent the rest of the morning curing any mer-person they came across with the curse on them.

"Onodera, what's going on? Why are they attacking us?" Takano asked when they'd finally cured everyone who'd been affected.

"It's that black merman who's behind this. His darkness is spreading and the fish are fleeing as the coral dies. If we don't do something soon not only will we be affected but the surface will be affected as well," Onodera explained quickly as they dashed down the hallways to a set of stairs. They climbed quickly up to the top and floated on the top spire of the middle tower. The sight they saw was a grim one. Blackened coral surrounded them and there wasn't a fish to be found.

"We need a barrier," Onodera stated as he swam back down the stairs.

"Maybe I cou-"

"No!" Onodera shouted vehemently before stopping Takano from casting a barrier. "The energy drain from the barrier would kill you. You are forbidden to use that power except on a small scale."

"But I ca-"

"No. You will die if you even attempt it. There's no way y-"

"What if I cast the spell on a model of the castle using precious stones? My power will be multiplied by the stones power and the shield will hold without my help," Takano said stubbornly as the brunette looked at him with hard eyes. As Takano's words sank in, Onodera's eyes changed from hard to contemplating as he considered them.

"Alright. I have a model in my office and some black opals you can use. Follow me," Onodera said as he led the way down the stairs and through a network of hallways. They finally came to the right door and began to get to work, setting up the model and stones. Takano then cast his barrier spell on the stones and once he was done, fell to his knees in exhaustion. Onodera swam over to him, concern plain in his eyes. Takano just smiled at the mer-king and stood up with energy he didn't possess.

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><p>"Now this is interesting," a merman with long black hair and searing red eyes chuckled as he felt a small light appear int he darkness he'd created.<p>

"I'm coming for you my little mer-king. And soon your kingdom will be mine," the man chuckled evilly. His laugh rang through the sees and echoed in the walls in the palace. Onodera shuddered while Takano looked up in confusion then down at the brunette as he uttered one word in response to the laugh.

"Acronon."

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><p><strong>This is where I'll stop for today. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to hearing from some of you in the comments. Hint hint. ;D See ya all later and watch out for pranks this month. Halloween is just around the corner. Sinunara(good bye)!(^o^)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Konichiwa~(hello), mina-san(everyone)! Hope you're all having a good time. This next chapter comes with some surprises and I look forward to seeing what you all think. Without further ado, A Tale of a Tail. Start!((o(^o^)o))**

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><p>"Acronon," Onodera said quietly as the ringing laughter from the evil merman faded out of existence.<p>

"Who?" Takano asked in confusion as he continued to stare at Onodera.

"A black merman who wants my throne. He's caused nothing but trouble for my family in the past and...his seal has been broken. Did you notice the merfolk attacking us?" Onodera said seriously. Takano just nodded his head in response.

"It was because of a black miasma the he creates with his magic. It allows him to control others at will. That's also why there are no more sea creatures besides dolphins and jelly fish here now. They're the only one's who can't be tainted by the stuff. And it keeps spreading. If we don't do something quickly..."

Onodera couldn't bring himself to say the rest for it was a reality that was just too horrible to utter. Just before Takano could respond to Onodera's latest words in came Chiaki, Hatori on his tail.

"Onodera-sama! We finally found it!" Chiaki said happily as he rushed over to where Onodera floated. This news took Onodera by surprise and couldn't even get the next question to come out of his mouth. Luckily he didn't have to.

"Tori found it in a tome in the second liabrary. It's a spell that nullifies the miasma and forces it to go back into it's host. It may just kill Acronon. And if it doesn't it will leave him unable to cast the miasma ever again!"

"Hatori, what are you doing here?" Takano asked suddenly. Both brunettes looked towards Takano and then at Hatori.

"I should be the one saying that Takano-san. I've known about Chiaki and Onodera since my days in high school. So why are you here?" Hatori asked a little rudely.

"I'm here to help keep that barrier up," Takano said back testily.

"You made that barrier?" Chiaki and Hatori asked in shock.

"Yeah. Any problems with my being here now?" Takano asked with authority. The two shook their heads before Chiaki spoke again.

"Onodera-sama, please come to the second library right now. We need to show you the spell. Takano-san too."

The four left the tower and quickly made their way through the castle and walked into the library. They were greeted by weary yet happy smile from the Council and they all crowded around the book in excitement. What they read next disappointed all but two of them.

"Why?! When we were so close and now this!" Chiaki exclaimed in exasperation. The rest of them all bowed their heads in sorrow until they noticed the smiles on Onodera's and Takano's faces.

"What are you two grinning about?" Reynard asked in disbelief.

"The spell requires a merman and a Catalin to activate it right," Onodera said still smiling.

"Well yes bu-"

"We have one."

"Huh?!" The rest of them said.

"May I present Catalin Takano Masamune," Onodera said with a wide smile and then the two burst into laughter at the shocked faces turned towards them.

"This is great news!" Chiaki shouted happily as the rest broke into smiles and cheered. Once everyone had calmed down they got down to business.

"Now how do we get close enough to him to activate the spell?"

"Well since I can nullify the miasma with my power I can shield you from it an-"

"That's too risky! You remember how the barrier took so much out of you? That will happen and you'll probably die before we reach him. I will not let you do that. Save your strength for the spell," Onodera scolded. Takano was shocked at his reaction and went silent as the rest said their fill.

"Well he's sure to notice the spec of light that is the barrier around the castle. So what if we just wait for him here?"

"True. He is moving towards the castle now as we speak but it could already be too late before he gets here."

"So what if we just meet him half way then?"

This newest idea was met with silence. Onodera was very upset at the prospect until he remembered something the last king had said.

"What if we use the Silent Bell?" Onodera suggested. This increased the heaviness of the silence in the room and it wasn't until Chiaki said something that it was broken.

"You realize that only Takano-san can use it right?" Chiaki stated seriously.

"Yes but it will protect us with a shield and we can go out and meet him in battle. If we can get to him before he reaches Hokkaido then we may have a chance to defeat him."

"...I think this plan is best. Though how long will we have to travel to get to him?" Takano asked sullenly.

"Two days with eight hours of rest at my speed," Onodera stated quietly.

"Dammit! If only i had a tail," Takano said in exasperation.

"You're a Catalin. You have a tail," Clara stated so simply that the rest of the room was shocked into silence. "Catalin's have always had tails. You just need to utter your wish for a tail and it will appear. Along with the Silent Bell you will be able to save your magic for the time when it is most needed. However, I would suggest that you save your wish for a tail until you leave. The wish will not work within the barrier you have created. The tail doesn't activate unless you are in need of it and you have no need of it here."

"Uh, okay," Takano stated dumbly as Onodera snickered.

"I think I'll go get the Bell now," Onodera chuckled as he swam out of the room. When he came back he held a necklace with a tiny glass bell on it on a golden chain.

"Here. Put this on," Onodera said in a commanding but gentle tone. Takano did as he was told and allowed Onodera to put the necklace on him. As soon as the bell rested upon his skin he felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders and his veins cooled as power flooded his body.

"How do you feel?" Onodera asked kindly.

"Great. Better than I have in years," Takano replied in an awed voice. Onodera sighed in relief before regaining his composure.

"Now that that's all settled, Chiaki, have the servants pack us enough food to last for two days. We leave at dawn," the brunette stated regally as he grabbed the book off of the table and exited the library in favor of his quieter bedroom. Once he was there he set about memorizing the spell. A certain black haired fellow decided to peek in on the king to check how he was doing after the brunette had studied for well over four hours.

"Onodera, you there?" Takano called out softly.

"Yeah," Onodera responded back mindlessly as Takano entered the room.

"Have you been studying this whole time?!"

"Yes. I need to. We can't carry the book with us so..."

Takano decided it was time for the merking to take a break and gently slid his arms around the brunette's shoulders.

"You should take a break. I need to memorize it too and you hogging the book doesn't help me with that."

The brunette sighed noisily before standing up from the seat at his desk and switching places with Takano. The brunette then decided to go get some food from the kitchen seeing as it was dinner time.

"You want some food Takano-san?"

"Nah. I already ate. You go on ahead," the man said as he waved Onodera's concern away. Onodera grimaced in annoyance as he closed the door behind him and walked out into the hallway. Once he was in the kitchen he was met with the usual fuss from one of the servants and was given hot food almost immediately. Onodera ate in silence, repeating the spell's words in his head over and over again. Once he was finished he thanked the servants for the meal and swam back to his room. When he entered he saw Takano standing in the center of the room and saying the incantation softly. This caused Onodera's heart to skip a beat as he gazed upon the image that was a Catalin.

"You truly are of the ancient race," Onodera commented breathlessly as Takano finished the incantation and turned towards the brunette. Emotions roiled through Takano's eyes as the merking gazed deep into their opulent depths. Fear, worry and love being the most prevalent in the man's eyes caused Onodera to smile gently at the man before him. Takano then slowly walked over to where Onodera was and held his hands gently. They gazed deep into each other's eyes, seeking the solice and strength of the other.

"Onodera-sa-"

Chiaki was cut off he he set eyes upon the loving pose that Onodera and Takano held right then. He then cleared his throat uncomfortably as the two sighed and released the other's hands.

"Preparations are complete. They will have everything waiting for you at the front gate in the morning," Chiaki stated quickly before turning around and swimming away at full speed.

"Well then, shall we call it a night?" Onodera asked casually as he swam over to his desk and closed the book. He didn't expect a pair of long arms to go around his shoulders and being pulled into the strong chest of their owner.

"Takano-san?" Onodera asked quietly.

"...I know we can do it. We are together. Nothing can stop us," Takano said strongly, causing Onodera to blush.

"...Yeah."

That was all Onodera had time to say as hi tail changed to legs and Takano turned him around and kissed him passionately. For once Onodera didn't fight back and even kissed Takano back. This registered as shock in Takano's mind as he walked them both over to the bed.

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><p><strong>Hai hai! Soukou matte(that's as far as you go)! Look forward to the next chapter everyone smut and the fun begins! Hope to see you all again soon and hontonii no gomenasaii(i'm really sorry) for the late update. Yureshikute hoshii(I hope you will forgive me). <strong>

**Mattashita ne(until next time)! Siunara(goodbye)! (^o-)/**


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